Footwear temperature control method and apparatus

ABSTRACT

Embodiments herein relate to footwear, such as a boots and shoes, and in particular to footwear having a removable element, such as a liner, that includes temperature control elements for controllably regulating and/or altering the temperature of the footwear and thus the wearer&#39;s foot. Various embodiments also include an electrical contact in the foot bed adapted to couple to the temperature control element in the liner, and a power source, controller, and actuator coupled to the footwear upper.

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION

The present application claims priority to U.S. Provisional PatentApplication No. 61/258,554, filed Nov. 5, 2009, entitled FOOTWEARTEMPERATURE CONTROL METHOD AND APPARATUS, the disclosure of which ishereby incorporated by reference in its entirety.

TECHNICAL FIELD

Embodiments herein relate to footwear, such as a boots and shoes, and inparticular to footwear having a removable element, such as a liner,bootie, or insole, that includes temperature control elements forcontrollably regulating and/or altering the temperature of the footwearand thus the wearer's foot.

BACKGROUND

Footwear often is worn in conditions where temperature fluctuations canhave a significant impact on the comfort and safety of the wearer. Tohelp keep the wearer's foot warm in cold environments, footweartypically includes various insulating materials. While somewhateffective, insulation alone may not be sufficient to maintain a safe,much less comfortable, foot temperature in severe cold environments.Further, insulated footwear can be problematic in warmer environments orin situations where the wearer is exerting a great deal of energy, as ittraps heat and moisture and may cause overheating of the foot.Additionally, individuals with circulatory problems such as peripheralartery disease or Raynaud's phenomenon may have difficulty regulatingfoot temperature, particularly in cold environments.

Systems have been developed wherein electrical heating systems areintegrated into the body of the footwear and powered by a portable powersupply. However, these heating systems are highly susceptible tofailure. For example, the heating elements can be fragile and may breakeasily. When the conductive path is broken, heated footwear is renderedinoperable. Due to the integrated nature of the heating components inthe footwear, once broken, these systems are either not repairable orare too costly to repair. Further, integrating the heating elements inthe footwear presents significant manufacturing difficulties, asplacement of the elements in the footwear's upper, midsole, or outsoleis labor intensive and requires precision stitching to avoid damage tothe conductors.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

Embodiments will be readily understood by the following detaileddescription in conjunction with the accompanying drawings. Embodimentsare illustrated by way of example and not by way of limitation in thefigures of the accompanying drawings.

FIGS. 1A, 1B, and 1C illustrate top (FIG. 1A), bottom (FIG. 1B), andside (FIG. 1C) views of a removable liner for use in footwear, inaccordance with various embodiments;

FIG. 2 illustrates a perspective view of a removable liner and foot bed,in accordance with various embodiments;

FIGS. 3A and 3B illustrate views of an electrical coupling mechanism foruse with a removable liner, in accordance with various embodiments;

FIGS. 4A-4D illustrate exploded (FIG. 4A), top (FIG. 4B), side (FIG.4C), and bottom (FIG. 4D) views of a removable liner, in accordance withvarious embodiments;

FIGS. 5A-5D illustrate an exploded view of an electrical couplingmechanism (FIG. 5A), and a top view (FIG. 5B), a bottom view (FIG. 5C),and a side view (FIG. 5D) of a removable liner with an electricalcoupling mechanism, in accordance with various embodiments;

FIG. 6 illustrates a schematic diagram of several of the components ofan exemplary footwear temperature control system, in accordance withvarious embodiments; and

FIGS. 7A-7C illustrate a left lateral view (FIG. 7A), right lateral view(FIG. 7B), and rear view (FIG. 7C) of an example of footwear thatincludes an embodiment of a temperature control element.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF EMBODIMENTS

In the following detailed description, reference is made to theaccompanying drawings which form a part hereof, and in which are shownby way of illustration embodiments that may be practiced. It is to beunderstood that other embodiments may be utilized and structural orlogical changes may be made without departing from the scope. Therefore,the following detailed description is not to be taken in a limitingsense, and the scope of embodiments is defined by the appended claimsand their equivalents.

Various operations may be described as multiple discrete operations inturn, in a manner that may be helpful in understanding embodiments;however, the order of description should not be construed to imply thatthese operations are order dependent.

For the purposes of the description, a phrase in the form “A/B” or inthe form “A and/or B” means (A), (B), or (A and B). For the purposes ofthe description, a phrase in the form “at least one of A, B, and C”means (A), (B), (C), (A and B), (A and C), (B and C), or (A, B and C).For the purposes of the description, a phrase in the form “(A)B” means(B) or (AB) that is, A is an optional element.

The description may use the terms “embodiment” or “embodiments,” whichmay each refer to one or more of the same or different embodiments.Furthermore, the terms “comprising,” “including,” “having,” and thelike, as used with respect to embodiments, are synonymous.

In various embodiments temperature controlled footwear is provided,wherein a removable liner, such as a sock liner, foot bed, insole,bootie, etc., may include a temperature control element (referred toherein as a “TCE”) disposed therein. When coupled to a portable powersupply (e.g., a battery or power cell, etc.), the TCE may be adapted toraise and/or lower the temperature of the liner, thus raising and/orlowering the temperature of the footwear as perceived by a wearer'sfoot. In some embodiments, electrical contact elements may be disposedin or on an exterior portion of the liner and may be configured tocontact corresponding electrical contact elements positioned in or onthe body of the footwear, for example on an upper portion of the footbed or on the midsole, outsole, etc., to facilitate electrical couplingand control of a portable power supply and the TCE.

The TCE may include heating elements, cooling elements, or a combinationthereof. In some embodiments, the heating elements may be metallic basedconductors that are inlaid, etched, or printed on a substrate that iscoupled to the liner. In some embodiments, the heating and/or coolingelements may include one or more piezoelectric and/or thermoelectricheaters and/or coolers that may control the temperature of the liner.

In various embodiments, a controller, a power source, an actuator,and/or a temperature regulator may be electrically coupled to the TCEand adapted to regulate the power supply so as to control thetemperature of the liner as desired. The temperature regulator and powersource may be disposed on the footwear such that the liner temperaturemay be controlled by the wearer by manipulating a setting, for instanceon the controller, or it may be remotely controlled, for instance usinga wired or wireless interface. In other embodiments, the linertemperature may be controlled automatically using a thermostat.

FIGS. 1A, 1B, and 1C illustrate an example of a footwear liner and TCEin accordance with various embodiments. In various embodiments, liner 10may be sized to removably engage with footwear having a variety ofshapes and configurations. As illustrated, liner 10 may include a TCE 20disposed therein and configured to provide a heat source and/or coolingsource. In various embodiments, TCE 20 may include one or moreconductors 22 that may be strategically patterned about at least aportion of liner 10. As illustrated in FIG. 1A, in some embodiments, thedistribution of conductor 22 may be concentrated in a forward orball/toe portion of the liner. This may be an advantageousconfiguration, as the toes and/or forefoot typically are the portions ofthe foot that become cold or overheated due to reduced circulation. Inother embodiments, conductor 22 may substantially cover the entiresurface of liner 10, providing heating or cooling to the entire foot, ormay be positioned in both the heel and toe regions of liner 22 or inother zones or patterns, as desired. In embodiments having both heatingand cooling elements, heating and cooling conductors 22 may beinterlaced, alternating, adjacent, or positioned in different regions ofliner 10.

In various embodiments, conductor 22 may be carried by a substrate, suchas cross-linked polyethylene (PEX), polyimide (PI), polyvinyl chloride(PVC), chlorinated polyvinyl chloride (CPVC), polyolefins (such aspolyethylene), thermoplastic elastomers (TPE), thermoplastic urethanes(TPU), ethyl vinyl acetate (EVA), or another substrate that is generallythin, flexible, and generally not susceptible to temperaturefluctuations. Conductor 22 may include, for example, metal wires ormetallic based traces that may be deposited, etched, printed, and/ormolded into the substrate. In some embodiments, other conductivematerials may be used, such as conductive fabrics having, for example,silver ion or copper threads. In various embodiments, conductor 22 mayextend to and/or terminate at a contact group 28 that may includecontacts 24 and 26 that may be, for example, positive and negativeelectrical terminals.

As illustrated in FIGS. 1A and 1B, in some embodiments, TCE 20 may bepositioned on an upper surface 13 of liner 10, and contact group 28 maybe disposed on a lower or bottom surface 15 of liner 10. Thus, as shownin FIG. 1C, TCE 20 may pass through liner 10 from upper surface 13 tolower surface 15, for instance via slot 21. As further illustrated inFIGS. 2A and 2B, in various embodiments, contact group 28 may bedisposed on lower surface 15 of liner 10 and may be further adapted toengage corresponding contact group 38, which may be coupled to the bodyof the footwear, for instance, in foot bed 30 (see also FIGS. 3-4),thereby providing an electrical coupling. In some embodiments, contactgroup 38 may include corresponding positive and negative electricalcontacts 34 and 36, and may be located on any part of the footwearinterior that may contact lower surface 15 of liner 10, such as, forinstance, the outsole or midsole, or footwear lining. In otherembodiments, contacts 34 and 36 or contact group 38 may be disposedabout other portions of the footwear interior, such as on the sides oron a rear portion of the footwear, such as near the heel. Additionally,in some embodiments, an electrical conduit 31 and an optionalquick-release electrical coupling 33 may be provided in order to coupleelectrical contacts 34 and 36 with a power source, controller, actuator,or other component.

In various embodiments, electrical contacts 24, 26, 34, and 36 may bemade of any suitable metallic or non-metallic, yet conductive material.In some embodiments, contacts 24, 26, 34, and 36 and/or contact groups28 and 38 may be flexible so as to conform to the bending and flexing ofliner 10 and/or the body of the footwear, as well as to accommodatedifferent liner or footwear topography. In various embodiments, contacts24 and 26 may be adapted to releasably couple to contacts 34 and 36 toeach other so as to help resist relative movement and/or separationbetween corresponding contacts, which may tend to disrupt the electricalconductivity. In one embodiment, for example, a conductivehook-and-loop-type material, such as conductive Velcro™, may be used tomake the contact between contacts 24 and 26 on liner 10 andcorresponding contacts 34 and 36 on the body of the footwear. In anotherembodiment, one of contact groups 28 and 38 may be recessed and theother contact groups 28 and 38 protruded to engage the recessed contactgroup.

In other embodiments, contacts 24, 26, 34, and 36 may be conductivemagnetic contacts as illustrated in FIGS. 3A and 3B. For example,contacts 24, 26, 34, and/or 36 may be magnetic, such that they couple toeach other in a way that resists unintended decoupling. In variousembodiments, contacts 24, 26, 34, and 36 may have corresponding male 19and female 17 locating features that may help ensure a viable electricalcoupling is made between the contacts.

FIGS. 4A, 4B, 4C and 4D illustrate respective exploded (FIG. 4A), top(FIG. 4B), side (FIG. 4C), and bottom (FIG. 4D) views of an exemplaryTCE 20 in accordance with various embodiments, and FIGS. 5A, 5B, 5C and5D illustrate respective exploded (FIG. 5A), top (FIG. 5B), bottom (FIG.5C), and side (FIG. 5D) views of an example of the corresponding footbed 30 portion of footwear. As illustrated in FIGS. 4A, 4B, 4C and 4D,in some embodiments, contacts 24 and 26 may be disposed about a rearportion of TCE 20. As shown in the embodiment illustrated in FIG. 4A,conductor 22 may comprise a metallic element, for instance a FeCrAlalloy such as Aludirome™, and may be sandwiched between layers ofsubstrate 23 such as PEX or PI film, to form TCE 20. Contacts 24 and 26may include magnetic buttons 25 that may couple to an upper side ofconductor 22, for instance with an adhesive film 27. Corresponding metalbuttons 29 may couple to a lower side of conductor 22, and may beadapted to interface with contacts 34, 36 of foot bed 30.

As illustrated in FIGS. 5A, 5B, 5C and 5D, in various embodiments, footbed 30 of the footwear may have corresponding electrical contacts 34 and36 disposed on upper surface 42 such that the when liner 10 is placed inthe footwear, a contact interface is made between liner contacts 24 and26 and foot bed contacts 34 and 36, thereby completing an electricalcoupling. Once an electrical interface is made, power supplied by apower source (not shown) may energize conductors 22 of TCE 20 (notshown) to provide an increase and/or decrease in liner temperature,thereby altering the temperature of the footwear. As shown in FIG. 5A,electrical contacts 34 and 36 may comprise a metallic conductor 33, forinstance a FeCrAl alloy such as Aludirome™, and may be sandwichedbetween layers of substrate 35, such as PEX or PI film. In someembodiments, additional metallic buttons 37 and/or adhesive 39 elementsmay be positioned under contacts 34 and 36, for instance to act assupport members or spacers.

As illustrated in FIGS. 4 and 5, liner contacts 24 and 26 and/or footbed contacts 34 and 36 may be large in size so as to ensure that a solidelectrical coupling is made with the corresponding liner/foot bedcontacts, as well as to ensure electrical coupling is made andmaintained despite shifting of liner 10 or infiltration of water anddebris encountered during use. In some embodiments, liner contacts 24and 26 may have a diameter of greater than or equal to about 0.5 in².

Further, in some embodiments, the positioning of contacts 24 and 26and/or 34 and 36 may be at generally opposite ends or sides of liner 10and/or foot bed 30. Separating the contacts can help to avoid undesiredcross contact and an electrical short of the system. In otherembodiments, contacts 24 and 26 and/or 34 and 36 may be positionedgenerally adjacent to or within closer proximity of one another, asillustrated in FIGS. 1 and 2. In various embodiments, it may beadvantageous for contacts 24 and 26 and/or 34 and 36 to be positionedunder the heel and/or ball region of the foot, which may bear the bulkof a wearer's weight during activity. In some embodiments, thispositioning may help insure better and more constant contact between thecorresponding contacts. Additionally, in some embodiments, the size ofliner contact 24 and 26 may be smaller than the size of the foot bedcontact 34 and 36. This size differential may help to ensure that linercontact 24 and/or 26 satisfactorily locates and contacts thecorresponding foot bed contact 34 and/or 36. In other embodiments, footbed contacts 34 and 36 may be smaller than liner contacts 24 and 26.

FIG. 6 illustrates a component schematic of various parts of atemperature regulation system in accordance with various embodiments. Invarious embodiments, TCE 20 may be disposed in a footwear liner (notshown) and may include exposed contact group 28. Corresponding foot bedcontact group 38 may be disposed in the footwear (not shown) in a mannerthat is configured to electrically couple to the contacts of contactgroup 28 when the liner is inserted into the footwear. The contacts ofcontact group 38 may be electrically coupled to a controller 50 and apower source 60 both of which may be disposed on the footwear at adesired location. Controller 50 and power source 60 may be separate orintegrated components.

In some embodiments, controller 50 may be an integrated circuit basedsystem that is configured to regulate and control the current providedto TCE 20 by power source 60. An actuator 55 may be electrically coupledto controller 50 and may be configured with, for example, multiplesettings (e.g. high, medium, low, and off). In various embodiments,actuator 55 may be configured to set an electronic thermostat that canregulate the temperature of the liner based on, for example, theinternal temperature of the footwear or a predetermined setting. In someembodiments, power source 60 or controller 50 may be adapted toremovably couple to an AC/DC adapter 80, for example via a USB connector82, for instance to recharge power source 60. In various embodiments,TCE 20, controller 50, power source 60, and actuator 55 may be removablycoupled to one another via electrical conduits 31 equipped with quickrelease couplers 33, mini USB adaptors 61, or other electricalinterfaces or plugs 63 known to those of skill in the art.

In various embodiments, controller 50 may be programmable to increasethe functionality of the temperature controlled footwear. For example,controller 50 may be adapted to couple to a computer or handheld devicevia a variety of known interface connections 82, 61 (e.g., USB or microUSB). A variety of parameters may then be modified, such as temperatureranges associated with various settings, light/indicator effects, and/ortiming cycles. In various embodiments, a wireless interface component,such as a transceiver, may be coupled to or integrated with controller50, which may allow a remote control and manipulation of the controllersettings.

In various embodiments, actuator 55 may be removably coupled to thefootwear by, for example, retainers 58. A variety of differentcustomized actuators 55 may be used without replacing the footwear. Forexample, different logos (e.g., college logos, brand names and/orimages, sports team logos) may be disposed on controller 50 and may beconfigured to light in a desired color, such as a color of a school,team, or brand. In some embodiments, actuator 55 may be removablycoupled to the footwear in a variety of known ways.

FIGS. 7A-7C illustrate a left lateral view (FIG. 7A), a right lateralview (FIG. 7B), and a rear view (FIG. 7C) of an example of footwear thatincludes an embodiment of a TCE 20. As illustrated in FIGS. 7A-7C, thefootwear may be equipped with receiving pockets, slots, or channels thatmay accommodate controller 50, power source 60, actuator 55, andelectrical connectors and conduits therebetween. For instance, in theillustrated example, controller 50 and power source 60 may be located onone side of a footwear upper, and actuator 55 may be located on theopposite side of the footwear upper. In some embodiments, when actuator55 is activated by a user, controller 50 may deliver power from powersource 60 to TCE 20, and may cause conductor 22 to activate and provideheat or cooling to liner 10. In some embodiments, controller 50, powersource 60, actuator 55, liner 10, and/or the electrical connectors andconduits therebetween may be removed by a user, for instance forcleaning, repair, or replacement of broken, worn, or dirty components.As such, in this embodiment, a single component may be removed forreplacement or repair without necessitating the replacement of theentire system. Similarly, in some embodiments, components of the systemmay be removed from the footwear if the footwear becomes soiled and isin need of cleaning.

Although certain embodiments have been illustrated and described herein,it will be appreciated by those of ordinary skill in the art that a widevariety of alternate and/or equivalent embodiments or implementationscalculated to achieve the same purposes may be substituted for theembodiments shown and described without departing from the scope. Thosewith skill in the art will readily appreciate that embodiments may beimplemented in a very wide variety of ways. This application is intendedto cover any adaptations or variations of the embodiments discussedherein. Therefore, it is manifestly intended that embodiments be limitedonly by the claims and the equivalents thereof.

1. A temperature control system for footwear comprising: a removableliner comprising a temperature control element adapted to alter thetemperature of the footwear, wherein the removable liner comprises afirst electrical contact; a foot bed comprising a second electricalcontact, wherein the first and second electrical contacts are adapted tocouple to one another; a power source adapted to provide power to thesecond electrical contact; and a controller adapted to couple to thepower source and control the temperature control element.
 2. Thetemperature control system of claim 1, further comprising an actuatoradapted to couple to the controller and activate the temperature controlsystem.
 3. The temperature control system of claim 2, wherein the powersource, controller, and/or actuator are removably coupled to thefootwear.
 4. The temperature control system of claim 1, wherein thetemperature control system comprises a heating and/or cooling elementand a substrate.
 5. The temperature control system of claim 4, whereinthe heating and/or cooling element comprises a metallic conductor. 6.The temperature control system of claim 5, wherein the metallicconductor comprises a FeCrAl alloy.
 7. The temperature control system ofclaim 4, wherein the heating and/or cooling element comprises apiezoelectric or thermoelectric heater and/or cooler.
 8. The temperaturecontrol system of claim 4, wherein the heating and/or cooling element ispositioned in a toe region of the removable liner.
 9. The temperaturecontrol system of claim 4, wherein the heating and/or cooling element ispositioned in both a heel region and a toe region of the removableliner.
 10. The temperature control system of claim 4, wherein theheating and/or cooling element is positioned to cover substantially allof a surface of the removable liner.
 11. The temperature control systemof claim 4, wherein the substrate comprises cross-linked polyethylene(PEX) or polyimide (PI).
 12. The temperature control system of claim 1,wherein the first electrical contact comprises a first positive terminaland a first negative terminal, and wherein the second electrical contactcomprises a second positive terminal and a second negative terminal. 13.The temperature control system of claim 12, wherein the second positiveterminal and second negative terminal each has an area of at least 0.5inches².
 14. The temperature control system of claim 1, wherein thefirst and second electrical contacts comprise magnetic elements.
 15. Thetemperature control system of claim 1, wherein the first and secondelectrical contacts comprise male and female coupling elements.
 16. Thetemperature control system of claim 15, wherein the first electricalcontact comprises a male coupling element and the second electricalcontact comprises a female coupling element.
 17. The temperature controlsystem of claim 1, wherein the controller comprises an integratedcircuit based system, wherein the controller is configured to regulatethe current provided to the temperature control element by the powersource.
 18. The temperature control system of claim 1, wherein the powersource is a battery.
 19. The temperature control system of claim 18,wherein the battery is rechargeable.
 20. The temperature control systemof claim 18, wherein the controller is adapted to house the battery. 21.The temperature control system of claim 1, wherein the controller isprogrammable.
 22. The temperature control system of claim 21, whereinthe controller comprises a USB port or micro USB port.
 23. A temperaturecontrol system for footwear comprising: a removable liner comprising atemperature control element adapted to alter the temperature of thefootwear, wherein the removable liner comprises a first electricalcontact; a foot bed comprising a second electrical contact, wherein thefirst and second electrical contacts are adapted to couple to oneanother, and wherein the first and second electrical contacts comprisemagnetic elements; a power source adapted to provide power to the secondelectrical contact; a controller adapted to couple to the power sourceand control the temperature control element; and an actuator adapted tocouple to the controller and activate the temperature control system,wherein the power source, controller, and actuator are removably coupledto the footwear upper.